1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a dice game, and more particularly to dice game in the tradition of poker dice, and still more particularly to a fast-paced dice matching game using simultaneous play by all competitors.
2. Background Discussion
Dice poker and variations on dice poker are well known. The traditional English game of dice poker has been imported and modified in several countries, including the Latin American game of Generala (sp. “Alert”). The most popular version of dice poker goes by the name of Yacht in Canada, and is variously referred to as Cheerio, Yot, and Yam in the United Kingdom. A version of this game has been popularized in America as YAHTZEE® [a registered trademark of Hasbro, Inc. of Pawtucket, R.I.] The game is a sequence, or turn-based, dice game that has as a principal object to gain the highest number of points possible using a scoring scheme that associates points according to the results of rolls of several dice at a time. It can be played as a kind of solitaire or with a virtually unlimited number of players, but even when played by a group of players, the games involve nothing more than several players playing the solitaire version collectively with the rolls (or turns) by each player taking place in serially, or in order. Several countries have introduced scoring variations, though the general principals of the game remain largely unchanged.
The object of these dice games is to achieve the highest possible score from throwing a group of five (5) six-sided dice during a turn. At each turn, each player gets five dice to roll. All five dice are placed in a dice cup and the cup is covered with a hand and shaken. The cup is then turned over and the dice spilled onto a surface. The dice are allowed to come to rest and the top faces of the dice are inspected for matches, sequences, and the like. Depending on the kind of “hand” the player wishes to achieve during a turn, the player may either score the roll and end the turn, or he/she may select some dice in the roll to set aside as members of the hand yet to be achieved. For instance, a player might roll two dice showing a pair of 2s, and he/she might set those aside as a pair either to try to match on subsequent rolls, or to combine with other matches to achieve a better poker hand (for instance, a full house or two pairs). Under the typical rules, each player has a maximum of three rolls on each turn, which include the initial roll of all five dice, and then two possible but optional re-rolls of some or all dice. After three rolls the player must choose one of several (e.g., 13 categories) of poker hands to score and enter a score for that category.
After a player scores the roll, he passes the cup to the next player. If playing solitaire, he simply initiates a new turn. Again, under the typical rules, the process is repeated in turn until each player has completed 13 rounds, each round addressing one of the 13 possible categories. When the game concludes, each player will have entered a score for each category. The game ends once all 13 categories have been scored. Once a category has been scored, it cannot be scored again for the rest of the game (except for a special category for rolling a five-of-a-kind). The game scorecard plays an important role in the execution and strategic decision making, and scoring either involves entering the total of the pips indicated on the rolled die (upper section) or achieving specified combinations on the die face, such as 3 and 4 of a kind, full house, small and large straights, flush, and the like (lower section). Obviously, the dice combinations correspond to poker hands and even bear the same name.
A special bonus situation arises when a 5-of-a-kind is rolled. Additional rolls of five-of-a-kind reward the player with bonus points or the choice of using the roll as a wild card. The player may also elect to score a “Chance” category or may score any roll in any category at any time, even if the resulting score is zero, which is known as a “scratch” or “dump” score.
In Yacht, as with all card and dice games, luck is the principal element in determining the outcome. However, strategy is also quite important, as each player must elect and scoring in only one scoring category at each turn. Because the number of different scoring combinations equals the number of turns in the game, each player must make difficult at each turn as to when to select a particular category in which to enter a score.
For all their popularity, Yacht, and its American counterpart, YAHTZEE® tend to be slow and tedious, particularly when larger groups of players are involved. Play gets bogged down as players take excruciatingly long amounts of time deciding which combinations they must seek, particularly when successive rolls are unfavorable. If, for instance, six players are competing, with three rolls per turn per player, a competitor can wait 30 rolls before his or her turn resumes. Thus, the pace is slow and players remain generally inactive for long periods of time.
What is needed, therefore, is a Yacht-type dice matching and combining game with a fast pace of play, elements of both chance and skill, and that places a premium on competitors' abilities to make quick judgments about roll probabilities, and quick economical dice rolls.